James E. Lawler

We have derived new detailed abundances of Mg, Ca, and the Fe-group elements Sc through Zn (Z = 21−30) for 37 main-sequence turnoff very metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] ≲−2.1). We analyzed Keck HIRES optical and near-UV high signal-to-noise spectra originally gathered for a Be abundance survey. Using typically ∼400 Fe-group lines with accurate laboratory transition probabilities for each star, we have determined accurate LTE metallicities and abundance ratios for neutral and ionized species of the 10 Fe-group elements as well as α elements Mg and Ca. We find good neutral/ion abundance agreement for the six elements that have detectable transitions of both species in our stars in the 3100–5800 Å range. Earlier reports of correlated Sc−Ti−V relative overabundances are confirmed, and appear to slowly increase with decreasing metallicity. To this element trio we add Zn; it also appears to be increasingly overabundant in the lowest-metallicity regimes. Co appears to mimic the behavior of Zn, but issues surrounding its abundance reliability cloud its interpretation.

We have derived new detailed abundances of Mg, Ca, and the Fe-group elements Sc through Zn (Z = 21-30) for 37 main sequence turnoff very metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] <= -2.1). We analyzed Keck HIRES optical and near-UV high signal-to-noise spectra originally gathered for a beryllium abundance survey. Using typically about 400 Fe-group lines with accurate laboratory transition probabilities for each star, we have determined accurate LTE metallicities and abundance ratios for neutral and ionized species of the 10 Fe-group elements as well as alpha elements Mg and Ca. We find good neutral/ion abundance agreement for the 6 elements that have detectable transitions of both species in our stars in the 3100-5800 Angstrom range. Earlier reports of correlated Sc-Ti-V relative overabundances are confirmed, and appear to slowly increase with decreasing metallicity. To this element trio we add Zn; it also appears to be increasingly overabundant in the lowest metallicity regimes. Co appears to mimic the behavior of Zn, but issues surrounding its abundance reliability cloud its interpretation.

We report new measurements of branching fractions for 20 UV and blue lines in the spectrum of neutral silicon (Si i) originating in the 3s ²3p4s ³P^o _1,2,¹P^o ₁, and 3s3p ^{3 1}D^o _1,2 upper levels. Transitions studied include both strong, nearly pure LS multiplets as well as very weak spin-forbidden transitions connected to these upper levels. We also report a new branching fraction measurement of the ⁴P_1/2–²P^o _1/2,3/2 intercombination lines in the spectrum of singly ionized silicon (Si ii). The weak spin-forbidden lines of Si i and Si ii provide a stringent test on recent theoretical calculations, to which we make comparison. The branching fractions from this study are combined with previously reported radiative lifetimes to yield transition probabilities and log(gf) values for these lines. We apply these new measurements to abundance determinations in five metal-poor stars.

We present a nearly complete rapid neutron-capture process (r-process) chemical inventory of the metal-poor ([Fe/H] = −1.46 ± 0.10) r-process-enhanced ([Eu/Fe] = +1.32 ± 0.08) halo star HD 222925. This abundance set is the most complete for any object beyond the solar system, with a total of 63 metals detected and seven with upper limits. It comprises 42 elements from 31 ≤ Z ≤ 90, including elements rarely detected in r-process-enhanced stars, such as Ga, Ge, As, Se, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Te, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, and Au. We derive these abundances from an analysis of 404 absorption lines in ultraviolet spectra collected using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope and previously analyzed optical spectra. A series of appendices discusses the atomic data and quality of fits for these lines. The r-process elements from Ba to Pb, including all elements at the third r-process peak, exhibit remarkable agreement with the solar r-process residuals, with a standard deviation of the differences of only 0.08 dex (17%). In contrast, deviations among the lighter elements from Ga to Te span nearly 1.4 dex, and they show distinct trends from Ga to Se, Nb through Cd, and In through Te. The r-process contribution to Ga, Ge, and As is small, and Se is the lightest element whose production is dominated by the r-process. The lanthanide fraction, log X _La = −1.39 ± 0.09, is typical for r-process-enhanced stars and higher than that of the kilonova from the GW170817 neutron-star merger event. We advocate adopting this pattern as an alternative to the solar r-process-element residuals when confronting future theoretical models of heavy-element nucleosynthesis with observations.

Improved energy levels for singly ionized and neutral hafnium of both even and odd parity are determined from Fourier transform spectrometer data using a least-squares optimization procedure. Data from interferometric spectrometers provide much tighter control of systematic uncertainties of line position measurements than can be achieved using dispersive spectrometers. The strong optical and near-UV lines connecting these levels are most likely to be used in the determination of isotopic abundance patterns. Comparisons of new results to published ones strongly suggest that our energy levels have systematic uncertainties in the mK (1 mK = 0.001 cm⁻¹) range or smaller, and that widely used tables of energy levels for ionized Hf have systematic errors of approximately 70 mK.

The goals of this study are (1) to test the best theoretical transition probabilities for Ca i (a relatively light alkaline earth spectrum) from a modern ab initio calculation using configuration interaction plus many-body perturbation theory against the best modern experimental transition probabilities and (2) to produce as accurate and comprehensive a line list of Ca i transition probabilities as is currently possible based on this comparison. We report new Ca i radiative lifetime measurements from a laser-induced fluorescence experiment and new emission branching fraction measurements from a 0.5 m focal length grating spectrometer with a detector array. We combine these data for upper levels that have both a new lifetime and new branching fractions to report log(gf) values for two multiplets consisting of nine transitions. Detailed comparisons are made between theory and experiment, including the measurements reported herein and a selected set of previously published experimental transition probabilities. We find that modern theory compares favorably to experimental measurements in most instances where such data exist. A final list of 202 recommended transition probabilities is presented, which covers lines of Ca i with wavelengths ranging from 2200 to 10000 Å. These are mostly selected from theory but are augmented with high-quality experimental measurements from this work and from the literature. The recommended transition probabilities are used in a redetermination of the Ca abundance in the Sun and in the metal-poor star HD 84937.

We present a semiquantitative description of several important properties of a magnetized cold-cathode plasma in helium over a wide pressure range 6.7–850 Pa. We focus on the ‘constricted orbiting’ mode where the plasma attaches to the cathode as a moving ‘dot’ and the voltage and rate of cathode erosion are both unusually low. We propose that the low plasma voltage and observed motion of the plasma adjacent to the cathode can be attributed to field emission as the source of electrons from the cathode, a process that is aided by the charging of an oxide film by ions. We find that the observed dependence of plasma voltage on pressure is consistent with the assumption that the axial electric field must increase in regions of strong crossed magnetic field to maintain current continuity.

We report the detection of an Al ii line at 2669.155 Å in 11 metal-poor stars, using ultraviolet spectra obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on board the Hubble Space Telescope. We derive Al abundances from this line using a standard abundance analysis, assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). The mean [Al/Fe] ratio is −0.06 ± 0.04 (σ = 0.22) for these 11 stars spanning − 3.9 < [Fe/H] < −1.3, or [Al/Fe] = −0.10 ± 0.04 (σ = 0.18) for 9 stars spanning −3.0 < [Fe/H] < −1.3 if two carbon-enhanced stars are excluded. We use these abundances to perform an empirical test of non-LTE (NLTE) abundance corrections predicted for resonance lines of Al i, including the commonly used optical Al i line at 3961 Å. The Al ii line is formed in LTE, and the abundance derived from this line matches that derived from high-excitation Al i lines predicted to have minimal NLTE corrections. The differences between the abundance derived from the Al ii line and the LTE abundance derived from Al i resonance lines are +0.4 to +0.9 dex, which match the predicted NLTE corrections for the Al i resonance lines. We conclude that the NLTE abundance calculations are approximately correct and should be applied to LTE abundances derived from Al i lines.

We report new branching fraction measurements for 199 UV and optical transitions of Hf ii. These transitions range in wavelength (wavenumber) from 2068 to 6584 Å (48,322–15,183 cm⁻¹) and originate in 17 odd-parity upper levels ranging in energy from 38,578 to 53,227 cm⁻¹. The branching fractions are combined with radiative lifetimes reported in an earlier study to produce a set of transition probabilities and log(gf) values with accuracy ranging from 5% to 25%. Comparison is made to transition probabilities from the literature where such data exist. We use these new transition probabilities to derive improved Hf abundances in two metal-poor stars. HD 196944 is enhanced in s-process elements, and we derive log ε (Hf) = −0.72 ± 0.03 (σ = 0.09) from 12 Hf ii lines. HD 222925 is enhanced in r-process elements, and we derive log ε (Hf) = 0.32 ± 0.03 (σ = 0.11) from 20 Hf ii lines. These measurements greatly expand the number of potentially useful Hf ii lines for analysis in UV and optical spectra.